What was his answer? I don’t think it’s something that Dana White will be happy to hear…

“There’s a lot on the horizon…I’m going to be the most active free agent out there. I’m not going to sign exclusive deals with any one organization, I just think that’s a bad move right now for any fighter that wants to move his career ahead.

I think you’ve got to have the flexibility to be able to fight in different organizations, and any organization that wants to lock you down for multiple agreements is only looking out for their best interests, and as a fighter you’ve got to look for your own best interests. You’ve got to be able to fight where the fights are. I’ll fight anybody and I’ll fight in any organization that doesn’t want to force somebody to sign long-term contracts.

Yes, we did talk to the UFC about the possibility of me fighting for them as well, and right now it’s not looking like that’s going to come to fruition, but it’s something that I’m definitely interested in exploring in the future months, or maybe even next year, who knows?”

With all of the other middleweight contenders in the UFC booked for fights later this year already, does this mean that Mike Swick is the number one contender?

While browsing the web, I came across an interesting post on a message board. The user was saying that the UFC is wrong in trying to bring in Lindland and that they are continuing to not go after foreign talent. He also said that they were trying to get rid of Silva.

I don’t think that’s the case…

If you haven’t noticed, the amount of foreign talent in the UFC is more than ever before. Granted it isn’t big name international talent like Pride and other organizations sport, it’s foreign guys nonetheless. Bottom line, why don’t they go after the big guys?

Has it occurred to anyone that they might want to develop their own guys inside their own organization? It’s exactly what Pride has done with Fedor, Wanderlei, Barnett, Shogun - They will forever be aligned with the company, bringing the organization a huge amount of recognition for years to come.

In my opinion, the UFC is making a good decision in the long run by signing rising, younger stars and developing them rather than going out and signing every big-name free agent out there.

As for the UFC talking with Lindland about returning - First off they should have never let him go in the first place. He was the number one contender for the title and they let him slip away by refusing to talk about a new contract - that’s why Nate Quarry fought Rich Franklin at UFC 56 - Lindland was supposed to be Franklin’s opponent, not Quarry who was probably the last person who deserved a title shot at that point.

The UFC isn’t trying to get rid of Silva, they are just trying to not make the same mistake twice. Swick isn’t ready for Silva, Dana already knows that, that’s why he wants him to fight at least one more time before he gets a title shot.

However with Lindland currently out of the picture, it seems like Silva’s next fight might be against just another Quarry…

GracieFighter.com is reporting that the UFC has contacted Matt “The Law” Lindland and they’re offering him a middleweight title fight against newly crowned champion Anderson Silva.

Inside sources have informed us that the UFC has contacted Matt Lindland to face their new Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva.

So far the UFC’s offers have been considered less than generous compared to what the WFA and IFC have offered him. For Matt to fight in the UFC he will have to completely relinquish fighting in other organizations and he would like to be compensated accordingly.

There will be meetings between Matt and the UFC in the upcoming days to see if these issues can be resolved and if a Anderson Silva vs. Matt Lindland fight can become a reality.

Matt “The Law” Lindland reined victories last night as he picked Jeremy Horn apart and eventually knocked him out early in the second round.

Lindland came out aggressive in the opening round working both his strikes and takedowns. He was almost able to catch Jeremy Horn in his patented guillotine choke which has victimized numerous other fighters but Horn showed heart and broke free. Lindland continued work his strikes and takedowns, neutralizing anything Horn had to offer.

Coming off of a dominant first round Lindland continued where he left off. This time Lindland was able to catch Horn with a nice left which sent him to the canvas. Lindland pounced on his dazed opponent and pounded away until the referee called a halt to the bout at 21 seconds of the first round.

Chris Horodecki kept his undefeated record intact as he pulled out a unanimous decision over Ed West. Horodecki controlled rounds one and three but he was really tested in the second. Horodecki showed a ton of heart breaking free from a tight kimura which was applied late in the second round by West.

Mike Pyle, Jay Heiron and Alex Schoenauer all had fairly easy days at the office as they fought for a combined time of 1:47 seconds. Funny enough all three fighters won by guillotine choke early in the first. Pyle won at 17 seconds of the first, Heiron 26 seconds of the first and Schoenauer 1:04 of the first.

Allan Goes’s fought for the first time in over a year earning a submission victory over Devin Cole via the guillotine choke. In the end Bas Rutten’s Anacondas swept the five-fight series, Allan Goes made a successful return, Chris Horodecki remained undefeated and Matt Lindland solidified his status as one of the top middleweights in the world.

The Oregon native earned his spot on the Olympic wrestling medal podium the hard way, going to a community college before landing at the University of Nebraska and winning a 1993 Big 8 title. He then spent years with Team USA on the world circuit, culminating in a silver medal at 167 pounds in Greco-Roman competition in Sydney in 2000.

Now, well into a mixed martial arts career in which he’s long been ranked one of the world’s top middleweights, Lindland is taking on a new challenge: coaching an MMA team. Lindland’s Portland Wolfpack of the International Fight League debuts Saturday night at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, facing the Seattle Tigersharks in the first round of the 2006 World Team Championships, and he’ll face well-respected veteran Jeremy Horn in the Superfight main event.

“In some ways, this is nothing new,” said Lindland, one of the head trainers in the elite Team Quest camp in Gresham, OR. “A lot of this is stuff I’d be working on with the guys in the gym anyway. But the IFL is introducing the team concept to MMA, and it is really paying off in our training. There’s a real energy around the gym because everyone’s working toward the same goal. Usually, I’m working with one guy who’s getting ready to fight in Japan and one who’s going to New Jersey. But with everyone focused on fighting at home on Saturday, it is bringing out the best in us.”

Lindland can go a long way toward putting the IFL on the map Saturday. Lindland’s opponent, Horn, who once defeated Chuck Liddell, is one of the smartest fighters in the game, and the matchup of his jiu-jitsu and Lindland’s wrestling makes an intruiging matchup for ground fighting fans.

“It’s going to be brutality,” said Lindland. “I promise you that. Everyone knows Jeremy can bring it and everyone knows I can bring it. I’m going to take it to him, so I hope he’s ready.”

“The superfight signed is for me to face Jeremy Horn,” confirmed Lindland. “Neither one of us since we’ve started competing have been out of the Top 5, so with two of the best middleweights in the world going at it, it’s basically like a title fight.”

“He’s a sneaky son of a bitch on the ground I’ll tell you. He’s submitted Chael Sonnen twice, but I’m not as slow-witted as Chael is,” said Matt with a light-hearted rib to his teammate.